India vs England T20Is: 3 positives for Virat Kohli & Co. after series win as they eye T20 World Cup glory

KEY STORY

• In a well-fought five-match T20I series between India and England, Virat Kohli & Co. triumphed with a 3-2 scoreline in a high-voltage final encounter at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday (March 20).

• While Eoin Morgan & Co. came with a plan to acclimatise to the conditions in India before the T20 World Cup, in late 2021, the home side experimented a lot in terms of their team combinations and selection with an eye on the marquee event.

• Hence, while winning was of utmost importance for both sides, the two powerhouses kept the T20 World Cup in mind right throughout the course of the series. With the ICC event in late 2021, here are 3 positives for Team India after their 3-2 series win over the No. 1 ranked side:

  1) Bhuvneshwar Kumar – a force to reckon with: Bhuvneshwar Kumar last represented India in late 2019 before an injury ruled him out and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed his comeback. During mid-IPL 2020, Bhuvi once again got injured and finally joined the squad prior to the England T20Is. With limited matches in hand for India ahead of the T20 World Cup, Bhuvi rose to the occasion with the ball with 4 wickets in total.

  More than his wickets, Bhuvi impressed with an economy rate of 6.38 — best in the entire series — as he strangled the big-hitters with his pace, change of lengths, and slight movement on offer.

  2) Plethora of options in the middle: India took a leaf out of England’s batting-heavy approach in the T20Is. Right throughout the series, Kohli-led India experimented with the batting order due to the presence of the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and the versatile duo of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav among others.

  While surely India still need to finalise a lot of things in terms of their batting line-up, they now have a packed middle and lower order with Iyer, Pandya, Pant, Surya, Ishan, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel with Ravindra Jadeja also in the pipeline. A fixed combination, with clarity of roles, will keep India in good stead in the T20 World Cup at home.

  India’s middle-order came in handy on several occasions in the just-concluded series, with the likes of Iyer, Pant, Pandya, and Surya finishing in the top ten run-scorers list.

  3) Death-bowling masterclass: Over the years, India’s death-bowling was often one of their main issues heading into an ICC event. However, the script seems to have changed this time around. The likes of Shardul Thakur, Hardik, and even Rahul Chahar — especially bowling a few handy overs in the series finale — have given plenty to cheer for Kohli & Co. with their skills, execution under pressure, and subtle variations.

  With Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion, India’s death bowling will only improve further (also comprising Bhuvi and T Natarajan).

• If India do not tinker too much with their strategies going forward and give more role clarity to their batsmen down the order, the Men in Blue will surely deliver the goods in the T20 World Cup this year. For now, there remains plenty to cheer for the ardent Indian cricket fans.